How is the number calculated?

The Bangkok Post announced on 23rd January 2013 that 30,000 people gathered for the Full Moon Party. The date is worth noting because it was the party after the one when a British tourist was shot.

The article went on to state that more people were expected to come to the island, suggesting the number for attendance was calculated before the actual event.

It got me thinking. How do they calculate how many people go to the Full Moon Party? It is not a question that Google, Yahoo or Bing seems to know the answer to. No doubt those who originally publish figures have their sources.

Websites vary in their estimation of how many people attend the Haad Rin parties. It is hard to find any authority on the matter.

It would be possible to use the ferry company records to tell us how many people arrived on Koh Phangan. Naturally, if this was the number it would have to account for all those who travel to Koh Phangan near the full moon but who don’t attend the party.

It might be possible, now that there is a charge to enter the party, to get an accurate count of people paying to enter on the night. This number doesn’t include those staying in Haad Rin. To get this type of accuracy would require a lot of co-operation from resort staff in Haad Rin. Moreover, it would take a few days to reach the final number.

The Bangkok Post clearly doesn’t do this as it reported attendance numbers prior to the party. It states that most of the 30,000 people coming to Koh Phangan were foreigners. This is a curious detail as it is not necessary to show travel documents to buy a ferry ticket.

Considering the limited logistical resources available to both the island authorities and the reporters for the Bangkok Post, the authority of attendance figures should be questioned.

No doubt there are tens of thousands of people in Haad Rin on the night of any Full Moon Party. To state with any more accuracy than that seems to invite incredulity. Maybe that is why the figure stated is a round 30,000 – it is not rounded up or down for convenience sake but for the sake of not knowing!